Calories Burned Sprinting vs Jogging: The Surprising Truth

Did you know that sprint training is probably one of the most effective ways to burn both calories and fat? Jogging has always been the go-to fat burning exercise, but it turns out that picking up the pace is the smart way to go!

Calories Burned Jogging

The number of calories you burn while jogging (10 minutes per mile) depends on two factors:

Your body weight

The time you spend jogging

Let's say you weigh 150 pounds. You burn about 11 calories per minute of jogging, so that's:

165 calories in 15 minutes

330 calories in 30 minutes

660 calories in an hour

If you weigh 200 pounds, you burn about 16 calories per minute of jogging. That comes out to:

240 calories in 15 minutes

480 calories in 30 minutes

960 calories in an hour

Not bad, right?

Why Jogging May be Your Best Choice

There are a few people who are better-served jogging instead of sprinting. These include:

Those who are recovering from an injury. It's wise to start out slow when healing from an injury, and jogging is the ideal cardio to help you get back into shape.

Those just getting into running. You can't start out sprinting from one day to the next, but it's best to jog for a while before you start sprint training.

Those with low cardiovascular endurance. When it comes to running and sprinting, you'll need to build up your endurance. The best way to start is by jogging!

Calories Burned Sprinting

When it comes to burning calories, the best form of cardio is definitely sprinting.

However, the problem with sprinting is that you run out of steam very quickly. The human body is not designed to sustain a full-on sprint for more than 30 to 60 seconds at a time without slowing. If you were to sprint for more than a minute, your body will very quickly become deprived of oxygen and you would pass out.

This is why sprint training involves low-intensity intervals mixed in with the high-action sprints. Your average sprint training session includes:

30 seconds of full-on sprinting

30 to 90 seconds of jogging or walking

The purpose of that low-intensity interval is to give your lungs time to absorb oxygen, which your blood then sends to all of the muscles in your body. You won't have to worry about being deprived of oxygen, as you will be breathing heavily during that low-intensity interval--thus oxygenating your blood and muscles.

The beauty of sprint training is that you can burn a lot of calories in a very short amount of time. Twenty minutes of hardcore sprint training can burn the same number of calories as you would burn in 45 to 60 minutes of jogging. Plus, you are doing anaerobic exercise, so your body burns fat and energy for hours after you finish. With jogging, the fat-burning ends a few minutes after you stop running, but sprinting keeps you losing weight and burning fat for much, much longer!

Some people get lucky and are born with fit, toned bodies. Andy Peloquin is not one of those people... Fitness has come hard for him, and he's had to work for it. His trials have led him to becoming a martial artist, an NFPT-certified fitness trainer, and a man passionate about exercise, diet and healthy living. He loves to exercise -- he does so six days a week -- and loves to share his passion for fitness and health with others.